Knowledge Center

Faculty

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The program is supported by two co-directors, an assistant director, professors from the core and finance curricula, staff in the Wisconsin MBA program office, and by substantial contributions by many loyal and involved alumni.

Academic Director

Professor Mark Ready is the Applied Security Analysis program (ASAP) Faculty Director. Mark served on the NASDAQ’s Economic Advisory Board from 1998-2000, and he was the Chief Economist and Director of the Office of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from April 2000 through January 2001. Mark has done extensive research in the area of investments and has published many scholarly articles in top finance journals. He also served as associate editor for the Review of Financial Studies and is currently an associate editor for Financial Management.

Hawk Center Co-Directors

Dan Pickett and Betsi Hill serve as co-directors of the Hawk Center.

Dan Pickett has substantial investment experience in investment leadership roles and has a wealth of knowledge that he shares with students. Dan is a program alumnus and advisory board member, and has held roles as the Principal and Chief Investment Officer of Nakoma Capital Management and former Director of Research of Columbus Circle Investors. Dan teaches the first year Intro to Applied Security Analysis course and second year Intro to Applied Portfolio Management course. As a mentor, Dan actively works with students in the management of the equity portfolios.

Betsi Hill is a program alumnus and advisory board member, who has extensive industry experience in fixed income and credit research. She started her career as a credit analyst for Liberty Mutual and rose to senior level positions. Most recently she was a partner and head of global credit research at Napier Park Global. Betsi provides an invaluable perspective to students with her experience and knowledge of the industry. With her experience, Betsi focuses on working with students in the management of the fixed income portfolio.

Hawk Center Assistant Director

Cara Scadden serves as assistant director of the Hawk Center. Cara is your contact for all MBA student related services. In her role in the Hawk Center, Cara focuses on student services, marketing, alumni engagement and administrative support. Prior to joining the program, she worked in event planning, public relations and community relations.

Technical and Other Support

The Hawk Center for Investment Analysis employs various project assistants and a technical support assistant. The Technical Service Center of the School of Business also provides computer-related support.

Alumni

Over the course of 35 years, approximately 500 students have participated in the ASAP and have become a very loyal and active alumni group. As testament, every two years ASAPers gather for a Fall Investment Conference and approximately 1/3 of the alumni attend. The tight alumni network is a key differentiating factor for the ASAP that creates benefits that last a lifetime.

Core and Finance Faculty

The ASAP benefits from the excellent quality of faculty responsible for teaching the core and finance curricula. These professors are leaders in research and devoted to creating great classroom experiences for the students. Please click here to read the bios of the Finance faculty.

Summary

To help our students learn more about the investment industry and assist them in developing their career goals, we provide a network of resources. ASAP students are supported by Finance faculty members, Hawk Center staff, ASAP alumni and industry contacts, the Career Management Center, the Business Library, and programming and resources from the local CFA Society. The generous gifts of our alumni have made this support possible.